noel

IPA/nəʊˈel/
KK[noˈɛl]IPA/nəʊˈel/

noel — noun

1. another way of saying Christmas, found mainly in song lyrics, poems, and holiday

1.nounC1
Definition

another way of saying Christmas, found mainly in song lyrics, poems, and holiday greeting cards rather than everyday speech.

Example

The choir sang "The First Noel" outside the village church on Christmas Eve.

common as a song title; capitalized when titled

Nellie painted "A Joyous Noel" in gold letters across the top of every card.

fixed phrase on holiday cards: 'Joyous Noel' / 'Merry Noel'

Common collocations
  • first noel
  • joyous noel
  • merry noel
  • a french noel
Synonyms
  • Christmas

    the everyday word; 'noel' is the lyrical or decorative variant

  • Yuletide

    also archaic / literary; broader, covers the whole festive season

  • Christmastide

    formal religious term for the 12 days following Christmas

Usage Note

Almost never used in plain prose for the holiday itself — say 'Christmas'. Reserved for decorative, lyrical, or ceremonial contexts: song titles, card greetings, mantel letters, hymn names. Often capitalized as 'Noel' and sometimes spelled 'Noël' with the diaeresis preserved from French.

Common Mistakes

We are going home for Noel this year.
We are going home for Christmas this year.
'noel' is not used in everyday speech for the holiday; use 'Christmas'.
Happy Noel!
Merry Christmas!' or written 'Joyous Noel' on a card.
spoken greetings use 'Christmas'; 'Noel' belongs on cards and ornaments.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words point to the December festival, but they live in very different registers. 'Christmas' is the neutral, everyday choice — what people say, write in messages, and use in news. 'Yuletide' is archaic and literary; you meet it in old songs, marketing copy aiming at a cosy feel, and historical writing, but never in casual speech. 'Christmastide' is the most formal of the four and carries a religious flavour, properly naming the twelve days that follow Christmas Day in the church calendar. 'Noel' (sometimes written Noël) borrows the French word and now lives almost entirely on greeting cards, mantel decorations, and in song titles such as 'The First Noel'. Compare: 'We are spending Christmas with my parents' (natural), 'Yuletide greetings from our family' (a printed card), 'A blessed Christmastide' (a church bulletin), 'A Joyous Noel' (the front of a card).

Christmas ↗YuletideChristmastide ↗noel ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Borrowed in the late 1300s from Old French 'noel', itself from Latin 'natalis' meaning 'relating to birth' — the same root that gave English 'native' and 'natal'. The Latin phrase 'dies natalis' was used by early Christians for the birthday of Christ, and the noun shortened and travelled into French as 'noël' before crossing into English. The French spelling with the diaeresis on the 'e' (noël) is sometimes preserved in English print, especially on cards and signs.